Bali’s stunning landscape and cultural allure continue to draw millions, but Bali faces a problem that refuses to fade: waste. Every day, around 500 tons of garbage are believed to come from tourists alone, adding to an already overwhelming burden.
This concern was brought forward by Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq while presenting an evaluation of hotel waste management in Bali. He noted that his team based their estimates on samples taken from Badung and Denpasar, areas with a combined population of roughly 1.1 million residents — about 653,000 in Denpasar and 500,000 in Badung.
“For Badung and Denpasar, we tried applying the highest conversion figure, 1.33 kilograms per person per day. Based on that, the total waste should only reach 1,300 tons per day,” Hanif explained during the Environmental Performance Assessment event for the hotel sector in Nusa Dua, Badung, on Friday (Sept 26).
Yet official data revealed larger volumes. Figures from the Bali Environmental Agency, drawn from the National Waste Information System (SISN), showed waste levels at 1,500 tons per day. The records at Suwung’s Final Disposal Site (TPA) were even higher, noting truck entries that translated to 1,800 tons per day.
“So there are 500 tons of waste that we then indicated as coming from tourists visiting Bali,” Hanif said.
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The challenge does not end with waste piles. Hanif also underlined the condition of Bali’s rivers, stating that 13 major rivers are moderately to heavily polluted.
“Not one of Bali’s rivers is completely clean. And then its beaches, every November and December, we face the arrival of marine waste,” he added.
Bali’s charm may be timeless, but the trash crisis continues to cast a shadow, pressing the island to act on solutions that can protect its beauty for the long run.
